Though Nintendo may trace its contemporary roots in video game industry success to the 35 year old Donkey Kong arcade, which provided a key breakthrough for the company, it is by no means the big N's oldest gaming product. There were other arcade games, of course, but there was also a little-known gaming system that is effectively Nintendo's first ever console - The Color TV Game 6.
Released in 1977, it's very much from the era when home systems were multiple variations of Pong and its mechanics - the intriguing part of the story is that it was co-developed with Mitsubushi, with Nintendo's branding not even prominent on the unit. It features multiple variations on the Pong concept, such as 'Volleyball' and 'Tennis', and was unsurprisingly released only in Japan.
Our friends at The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, England, have now published a video to show it off. It may not be an impressive device, as such, but it's nevertheless a part of Nintendo history.
This unit and lots of other gaming systems - many of which will be more recognisable! - will be playable at the Nintendo Life Gaming Night at the Centre on 30th July; it's a family event that'll run from 3pm to 10pm. You can learn more about it in our announcement article, while some tickets are still up for grabs.
Another quirky piece of Nintendo gaming hardware, the TV Game Racing 112 from 1978, will also be playable; it's not exactly Mario Kart 8, but it's interesting...
Be sure to let us know what you think of this slice of Nintendo's history with a comment below.
Comments 21
Quite interesting to see these in action.
Whoa!
Color Game TV 6, eh? Catchy title ^_^ haha I kid, this system has always been in the back of my mind, have always wanted to play on one... just to say I have! Surprised it has lasted the test of time. I believe Sega also had an obscure Japan only system, the SG 1000. :3
Lol this is the new Nintendo NX going back to the roots. Just kidding. Its funny to see it in action
I played something like that when I was a kid. I'm sure there must have been many similar products. It might even have been this exact product but there's no way I could tell for sure. We're talking early to mid 80's. Back then it was brilliant and high tech. You'd turn the knob left or right to move your paddle. Then there were options to speed up the ball or change the size of the paddle and it kept the score on screen like this. Though I remember it being it in black and white but that could have been because of the TV.
Still waiting on the Colour TV Game 7...
Reminded me of this video from a long time ago. It's a pretty good showing of some of those old consoles. It's not polished, but it's pretty informative.
Slight swearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnHvg5bE6vo
Love those dials! Etch-a-sketch potential. Let's hope the analog stick of the future becomes a pair of dials.
Oh my... the Nintendo ancestor.
First time i see that.
pong with digital controls? ew!
I wish I could attend that gaming night and say hello to everyone. Have fun guys!
Again, woefully underpowered hardware from Nintendo, no traditional controller, no third parties, no achievements, need I go on?
I have heard rumours that NX is going to be similar...
No.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE A bit offtopic, but hello from Wicklow!
@SLIGEACH_EIRE There was a giant number of pong clones, most of them similar to one another. Check out the AVGN video Pong Consoles, maybe there you find the exact one you had.
...I was wondering what that thing was when it was used as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4. lol
@Apple-sensei Hello.
I know what a Mitsubishi is, I don't know what the heck a Mitsubushi are.
Racing 112 is in the first WarioWare.
@WiltonRoots I see what you did there...
@MrPuzzlez I couldn't resist...
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